WAV_LENGTH_01
WAV_LENGTH_01 is the first in a series of installation-based, media art performances by Temporary Distortion exploring the intricate relationship between human perception, time, and wavelengths of light and sound.
Each project in the series surveys the history, cultural coding, and sensual impact of a single hue, in order to explore how color resides not in light or material, but in the expansive variety of embodied observations made by the viewer.
WAV_LENGTH_01 is focused on red — the first color a newborn can discern, the last color we see before dying, and the first color to be named by primitive cultures all over the world. This meditative exploration of red spans the temporal extremes of human experience, from our first moments to our last breath.
DURATION_&_SCALE
Temporary Distortion has a long history of performing extended-duration works, including all-day performances in galleries, museums, and theaters. WAV_LENGTH_01 can be performed as a looping, extended-duration work for an audience that is free to come and go as they wish during museum/gallery hours, or it can be performed as an hour-long production that an audience witnesses from beginning to end in a traditional theater or alternative setting.
The set for WAV_LENGTH_01 consists of four seven-foot square frames. Two of these frames rest flat on the floor, while the other two stand perpendicular to the ground, supported fully by the weight of the horizontal frames. Each is constructed of wood 4x4s painted bright red. Between the two L-shaped structures are four powered speakers that are used for amplification when the work is performed live. Inside of the structures are red guitars, microphones on stands, guitar pedals, and a small audio mixer that can be displayed as a visual art installation when the work is not activated by the performers.
AUDI_NCE
The audience for WAV_LENGTH_01 is invited to move around freely during the event and may take photographs and videos, or post to social media, if they wish. There is no directed audience engagement or required participation. The piece is appropriate for all ages.
HIST_RY
Temporary Distortion (named one of the “Best New York Theater companies” by TimeOut NY Magazine) occupies the gray space between the “black box” of the theater and the “white cube” of the art gallery. The group has maintained its roots in downtown NYC as an invested stakeholder in the local community for over 20 years, while also performing at notable venues around the world. They continually work across disciplines to create performances, films, installations, albums, and works for the stage that have been shown in nearly 30 cities in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.